1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of shoes and more particularly to a new antiwear protective element to be fastened to the upper of a shoe, particularly an everyday athletic type shoe used by children.
2) Description of the Prior Art
In the constructing of shoes the sole of the shoe is designed to take wear that is normally encountered during walking and running. The upper of the shoe, which surrounds the top of the foot and the ankle is generally made of fabric and is not designed to encounter significant wear. During certain activities, the upper of a shoe will encounter localized wear which will cause the upper to become frayed or produce a hole which results in premature failure of the shoe. Premature failure of shoes is common in conjunction with children since certain activities that children engage in do cause abrasive wear to a localized area of a shoe.
One such activity is riding skateboards. There are certain maneuvers in conjunction with a skateboard which applies a particular area of one shoe against the abrasive surface of the skateboard with a rubbing action occurring therebetween. This rubbing action quickly produces a hole in one shoe which requires premature replacement of the pair of shoes.
In order to avoid this premature replacement, skateboarders have been known to make fabric pads and tape or sew the same to their shoes in the area where the localized wear occurs. These fabric pads also quickly wear out requiring replacement.